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Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Volkswagen ID.3 GTX: Can it finally deliver on the EV hot-hatch promise?
Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Year : 2025 Fuel : Electric Verdict : Not the electric GTi some might expect – but good value all the same Cast your mind back to 2019, when Frankfurt still had a motor show and the buzz at VW centred on a new model billed as delivering the 'third chapter' in VW's brand-defining cars. It follows in the tread marks of the Beetle and Golf: the ID.3 was meant to be their spiritual electric successor. VW was adamant the Golf would remain in production, but as we moved to EVs en masse, the ID.3 was clearly meant to eclipse it. For multiple reasons, that never happened. The Golf remains the second most popular model in VW's line-up in Ireland, after the Tiguan . Last year they sold four times as many Golfs as ID.3s. It's the same story so far this year. And it's not just because the ID.3 is electric. VW is selling three times as many ID.4s as ID.3s this year. READ MORE It seems the price walk to the larger EV makes it too tempting to move up the range. The Germans were probably hoping a minor facelift and an update to the ID.3 last year could revive its fortunes. Alas, the sales figures aren't showing any upswing. Enter the GTX version, trading on the brand's heritage of creating hot hatches that stretch back to the mid-1970s. There have already been GTX variants offered on other models, largely based around aesthetic styling touches rather than outright performance. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Added features on this GTX include sport shock absorption, 20-inch alloys and some GTX detailing across the car. Performance Plus adds DCC shocks, plus what VW refers to as 'progressive steering' and 'adaptive chassis control'. You also get a rear-view camera, sports seats and a Harman Kardon sound system. The GTX gets the biggest battery in the ID.3 range, which starts with a 52kWh and goes up to this 79kWh pack. It claims an official range of 595km, but we found in reality it was closer to 500km, which is still quite impressive and certainly enough to leave most owners only charging up twice a week. We were averaging 16.2kWh/100km, which is within the official consumption range. That's despite quite a lot of motorway driving during the week. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX On a trip to Cork, we needed only one stop at a fast-charger; in just over 30 minutes – the time it took to grab a coffee and sandwich, plus read a few emails – the GTX's battery pack was back up at 80 per cent. This VW can take a DC charge up to 185kW, but even when it was tapering off – as it came close to 96 per cent fully charged – it was still claiming to add 5km per minute on the 150kW ESB charger. So it has commendable range, but what about performance? That's where the GTX comes a little unstuck. Weighing in at nearly 2½ tonnes, we had our doubts about its ability. Yet a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds showed great promise. And we know that the VW Group can create sharp electric cars, albeit under the Cupra badge, it's affordable Audi sports brand based in Barcelona. At the heart of the GTX is the 326hp electric motor powering the rear wheels. This is the same motor that drives the impressive ID.7 , and it's a punchier power source than the motor used in the ID.3 Pro, offering good pep when you plant the accelerator. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX What's admirable is the way it delivers its power: not the hooligan surge you get from some unrefined performance rivals from new Chinese brands. It's smooth, manageable and ever-so-slightly restrained – unless you opt for Sport driving mode, in which case that lunging and lurching acceleration is to the fore – and your passengers are reaching for the sick bags. Another admirable trait is the suspension set-up. Retuned springs and dampers give it a sportier, more agile feel than the rather numb ID.3 to which we've become accustomed. This combined with more direct steering feel, makes the GTX the best driving variant of this hatchback to be built by VW to date. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX And with power coming through the rear wheels, you avoid the cursed torque steer that ruins the control of many fast EVs. The suspension nicely balances power delivery with comfortable dynamics, so your spine doesn't get jolted with every pothole, but neither do you lean into every bend. It's a relatively fast car that's easy to drive. The key word here is relatively, for there is a high-performance car that offers far more of the thrills and excitement evoked by the term hot hatch – only it's built in Korea. As with many market segments these days, an Asian brand has stolen Europe's thunder. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is now the benchmark for how EVs can evolve the hot hatch format for the new age. At the Hyundai's heart is a software set-up delivering a simulated transmission and hypnotic acoustic soundtrack that encapsulates the addictive essence of hot hatches. The GTX just can't match it. True, there's a gulf in price difference between these cars, but it would have been great if the GTX could embrace a little more of that passion and a little less of the point-and-click format of a regular EV. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX And then there is also a car that just shades this VW in terms of driving fun at a similar price: its close cousin, the Cupra Born VZ. The good news is that work is also well under way in Wolfsburg to create a fully electric Golf GTi, with VW chief executive Thomas Schafer promising it will be 'a monster car', while an electric Golf R is also on the cards. For now the GTX offers an impressive balance of performance and range, combined with all the practicality of a large hatchback. It's also well-priced. I just wish it had a touch more thrill and passion. For that we'll probably have to wait for the electric Golf GTi, which leaves us wondering about the point of this GTX, a variant of a model that has failed to live up to the initial hype. Lowdown: Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance Plus Power A 326hp (240kW) electric motor with single speed auto delivering a maximum torque of 560Nm and garnering power from a 79kWh net battery pack 0-100km/h 5.7 seconds Energy consumption 16.5 kWh/100km (WLTP) Range 595km (WLTP) Price €41,258 as tested. GTX Performance Plus starts at €39,025 (after subsidies) ID.3 range starts at €31,780 Our rating 3/5. Verdict Not the electric GTi some might expect – but good value all the same
Auto Express
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Volkswagen Golf GTI to live on, and it'll be electric
It's official: the first fully electric Volkswagen Golf GTI is under development. This is undoubtedly a crucial moment for this iconic hot hatchback and, in order to keep the scepticism of some fans at bay, VW CEO Thomas Schäfer has promised that the new EV will 'be a monster car'. Advertisement - Article continues below We're yet to hear the exact date when the new GTI is expected to arrive, but in the meantime, we do know that VW will continue to update the current Golf until at least 2030. Conceptual work on the new model is already well underway, though, and while VW is remaining pretty tight-lipped about the details, Schäfer has told Auto Express that he's 'very happy with the progress', adding: 'It's cool. You can make it exciting. It has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. It has to be a [true] GTI.' Confidence certainly seems high at this early stage, and it needs to be because this is by far one of the most important and beloved cars to wear a Volkswagen badge. Keep reading to find out everything we know about the new Volkswagen Golf GTI so far. We know that the new GTI will be front-wheel drive, despite its closest electric sibling – the ID.3 GTX – having a 322bhp motor driving the rear wheels. That's around 60bhp more than today's 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol GTI, but it's possible that the e-GTI will match its stepchange in power, because of an electric motor's ability to precisely control the torque at each wheel. The first electric Golf R – also being planned, according to Schäfer – will have the capacity to come with another power leap, with drive being applied to all four wheels. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Schäfer said the ID.2 GTI – already shown in concept form – will set the benchmark for the new hot Golf. 'We'll bring through a whole group of GTI, starting with the ID.2 GTI, which is the first one coming electrically,' he explained. 'When we started this journey, [we told] the development teams 'we've got to be proud of the GTI of the future', and the team's taking that on.' The CEO has already hot-lapped the upcoming GTI, which is expected to hit the market in 2026. 'We've driven a few prototypes on the new set-up, and it's mind-blowing. What about the sound? What about the total feel, the handling and so on? It can be done,' Schäfer said. However, he wouldn't be drawn on whether the GTI would emulate the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N with its simulated gearshifts and soundtrack, along with a drift mode – electronic playthings that would be better suited to the more hardcore nature of the electric Golf R. Digital work on the new Golf package is shaping up, before the car moves into the physical prototype stage. 'We know what the vehicle looks like and [we can] sit virtually in the vehicle,' said Schäfer. 'The dimensions of the platform and the vehicle are clear, although it's not [fine-tuned] to the last design detail. We have many steps to get through.' Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below As our exclusive images show, we expect the next-generation Golf GTI to follow the usual design approach of evolution rather than revolution. Approachability and familiarity are two aspects that have maintained the Golf's appeal to UK buyers over a number of decades, and these qualities could prove essential as the brand tries to woo more customers into making the transition to an EV. The SSP underpinnings will also be a game-changer for the Volkswagen Group. Electric cars from Skoda and VW all the way up to Lamborghini and Bentley will tap into the hardware and software modules it introduces, but iterations will be broken down according to vehicle size and cost. 'It's going to be really scalable,' the boss told Auto Express on the fringe of the FT's Future of the Car summit. 'We have certain sizes according to the vehicle, but still the same modules of the key components that can be used across [SSP], so you have the maximum scaling effect, also in purchasing power.' And what's Thomas Schäfer's favourite GTI of all time? 'I think the first one is the most exciting, because it came out of nowhere and was a total game-changer.' That first Golf GTI made 108bhp from its 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine. That'll be a world apart from the first all-electric, 300bhp-plus Golf GTI arriving some 54 years later – but hopefully its core DNA will be very much intact. View Golf View Golf View Golf Would you buy an electric Golf GTI? Share your thoughts in the comments section... 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The Sun
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major car brand ‘to launch EV version' of popular model next year – and it will be faster than its flagship vehicle
A MAJOR car brand is set to launch an electric version of one of its most popular models next year – and it's tipped to be even faster than the current flagship. Volkswagen is reportedly preparing to unveil an electric GTI hot hatch, based on its ID.3 model, with a launch expected in 2026, according to 5 5 5 This comes after the German manufacturer first stepped into the electric hot hatch space last year with the ID.3 GTX. The new ID.3 GTI will carry the legendary GTI badge, though it won't have the fuel injectors that gave the original its name. And unlike traditional GTIs, which have front-wheel drive, this electric version will reportedly be rear-wheel drive. According to Auto Motor and Sport, the ID.3 GTI will deliver around 335hp, that's 13hp more than the current GTX model. VW is also said to be working on major upgrades to the chassis, steering, and suspension to give drivers a more exciting and responsive experience behind the wheel. Interestingly, the electric GTI wasn't part of Volkswagen's original plan. But with delays to the next-generation electric Golf, now expected near the end of the decade, the carmaker is opting for a second facelift of the ID.3 to extend its life on the market. This update is set to bring the ID.3's design and technology closer to the upcoming ID.2 range. The ID.3 first launched in 2019 and saw a refresh in 2023. Inside the Volkswagen ID With the latest facelift, expected in 2026, the ID.3 GTI will take centre stage as VW's new electric performance star. VW has already shown off the ID. GTI concept, which previews the company's first electric car to wear the iconic badge. However, the larger ID.3 GTI now looks likely to beat it to showrooms. Pricing details are still under wraps, but in Germany, the current ID.3 GTX starts at just over €47,000, while the upcoming ID.2 will launch from around €25,000. Naturally, the GTI versions will carry a premium. Several other VW electric models have already received the GTX badge, including the ID.7 saloon, ID.7 Tourer estate, and even the GTX minivan. It's still unclear whether Volkswagen plans to eventually replace GTX with the more recognisable GTI name across its electric range. There's also speculation that an electric R-badged model could follow. And with rumours that VW may redesign the GTI logo to feature a lightning bolt in place of the 'I,' the brand's electric future is certainly shaping up to be electrifying. 5 5
